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Friday, January 30, 2015

Sometime in 2013, I got the idea that I
wanted to be a professional blogger. Yes. Me.

So to kick start this big dream of mine, I
decided to create a blog using the WordPress platform because most professional
bloggers I know created theirs on WordPress. I thought having a WordPress
blog of my own would be impressive. I even have my own personalized domain
name. (Reminder to self: cancel domain name!)

I don’t know what I was thinking really.
Becoming a professional blogger is hard work. Like really hard work.

#1 Your blog content has to be good. Good
enough so that readers are engaged and learn something new that would benefit
them. In order to come across as a specialist in the field you blog about, you
really have to spend a lot of time researching so that your content is unique
and educational.

#2 You have to be consistent with updating
your blog and aggressively promote your blog.

#3 You have to maintain your blogs
appearance to keep it updated and mannnnn WordPress can be tough if you hate
dealing with technical details like I do.

I, obviously, did not have the patience nor
the time to keep up with my WordPress blog. Trying to become a professional
blogger took the fun out of blogging for me. Suddenly I felt under pressure preparing my blog content because I needed to showcased what I specialized in. I started
writing in a different voice and it didn’t feel like the writing was mine. Anyway
I digress, sorry. I tend to do that a lot now.

It was during this time that I fiddled with
WordPress. Whilst WordPress has its plus points I really didn’t want to spend
too much time trying to understand how to use the platform to make my blog
better. And trust me, if you are new with WordPress you need to spend A LOT OF
TIME trying to understand the platform and how it works.

I realize from this experience that I love blogging for fun not to showcase my professional knowledge. I love writing and sharing my personal thoughts online and not my professional experience. I blog also because I
wanted to connect with people who share the same interest I do. More importantly, I didn’t
want to be bogged down with technicalities of how I can use the many plugins
available to improve my blog. And since I now realize that I hate dealing with blogging technicalities, Blogger is a better platform because its
easy to manage and it suits my objective.

Blogger to me is:

# Really easy to set up.

# Easy to customize. There are more blogger templates
available out there that is free and/or cheaper than a WordPress template.
Though I have to admit WordPress templates are much nicer.

# The Blogger dashboard is easier to
manoeuvre (but this could be because I’m used to Blogger having been on it
since 2013)

As much as I love Blogger there is one
thing I’ll miss from WordPress and that is the ability to share post to more
social media sites. Since I only recently came back to Blogger I can see some
updated features but not many. I noticed that I can now automatically share
blog posts on Google+ but not any other social media sites. Or is there an
updated sharing option on the Blogger dashboard that I haven’t noticed yet?

Anyway, I’m happy with blogger for now. I
can write as and when I please. If anyone reads this blog, great! If no one
reads it, no problem! I can write whatever I feel like writing with no
pressure. More importantly, I can maintain the blog without worrying to update
this plugin or that plugin to keep it updated. Bliss.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

I recently posted about how I am now a digital bookworm and would really like to read more from my Kobo e-reader. So when I stumbled upon this challenge on Annette's blog I immediately decided to participate without any hesitation. Hopefully, taking part in
this challenge would help me continue reading ebooks more consistently.

Anyone can join, you don’t need to be a blogger. If you
don’t have a blog, feel free to sign-up in the comments. You can post reviews
to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, etc).

Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook
format.

You can plan your books in advance or as you read them.

When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your
post about joining the E-Book Reading Challenge.

Sign-ups will be open throughout 2015, so feel free to join
at any time during the year.

Levels:

1. Bits – 5 ebooks

2. Bytes – 10 ebooks

3. Megabytes – 25 ebooks

4. Gigabytes – 50 ebooks

5. Terabytes – 75 ebooks

6. Empty the Cloud – 100 ebooks

At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post
for you to add your reviews for that month. The linky will remain open for the
remainder of the year, so if you forget, feel free go back and add them when
you remember.

I’m going to take it slow and commit to the Bytes level
– 10 ebooks this year.

Thanks Annette for hosting this challenge. I look forward to
reading more ebooks with my Kobo ereader this year.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Everyone loves The Little Engine That Could, that classic
tale of the determined little engine that, despite its size, triumphantly pulls
a train full of toys to the waiting children on the other side of a mountain.

Review:

This was so much fun to listen to with my four year old. He
paid full attention to the audiobook from beginning to end and kept saying “mummy,
give toy before boys and girls wake up”. I think what he meant to say was “please
make sure the toys reach the boys and girls before they wake up”. LOL.

Also, he was laughing hysterically when the little engine
started chanting “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can” over and over
again. The way the narration was delivered just tickled him silly.

Hats off to Cassandra Morris who also did a great job with
the narration, my son was glued to the story from the minute we pressed play.

He loved it so much that we heard it on repeat for like five
times.

I think this is his new favourite; added on to his current
favourite audiobook list of Three Little Pigs and Goldilocks and the Three
Bears which he listens to quite often.

A simple and easy to read book with a great message for any
reader whether they are young or old.

The Little Engine That Could was absolutely an enjoyable
experience to listen to with my son.

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

I participated in the same audiobook challenge last year and
did the Weekend Warrior level which meant that I had to listen to about 10-15 books
in a year. I did quite well and completed my challenge way in advance.
*Patting myself on my back*

Anyway, I’ve decided to up the ante this year and will
commit to the Socially Awkward level which requires that I listen to 15 – 20 books.
Eeeks! Hopefully I’ll be able to manage this. I’ve already listened to 3
audiobooks this January already.